SWITZERLAND

From the days of the Reformation most of the Swiss Cantons have possessed public collections of books. Some of them are Cantonal and some Municipal. The Cantons of Zurich, Berne, and Geneva are, in this respect, as in others, preeminent. But very few of these Swiss Libraries are Lending Libraries otherwise than by the payment of entrance fees or of a small annual subscription.

The Town Library of Berne

The Town Library of Berne was founded in 1548. It contained in 1853 about 49,000 printed volumes. Upon the basis of an official statement that, on the average, more than two hundred volumes are yearly added, it may be estimated to contain, in 1869, at least 52,000 printed volumes. According to an official report, of the-year 1849, the MSS. numbered 2303; of which number 1500 relate to the History of Switzerland. According to Petzholdt'sHandbuch of 1853, the number of MSS. was in that year about 3200. More than 1000 MSS. came from the Bongars collection, and were presented to Berne by Jacob von Liebegg in 1632. Amongst these are some very valuable classical MSS.

In 1853 the yearly number of readers at Berne did not much exceed 500; that of books lent was estimated as somewhat more than 2000 volumes. Inhabitants of Berne pay, once for all, an entrance fee of ten Swiss livres. Since the year 1809 Professors and Students of the University are admitted without personal payment, but a contribution to the library fund is made by the Cantonal Government by way of compensation.